Run to the Ring
by Mistblade
Summary: In this Modern AU, Aelin/Celaena is an Elite gymnast and Mixed Martial Arts fighter. When she runs into faces from the past, it seems that the life she left behind is catching up with her. Now Aelin has to figure out how she's going to manage her new life. (Big shout out to Chaz Angel's fanfic: A twist of fate!) All reviews welcome!
1. Chapter 1

**Edited**

* * *

Aelin didn't care how hard the back triple twist was, she was going to stick it before she could move on to fighting.

This was her fourth attempt. The past three had ended with her on the floor, one of them wincing in pain. It wasn't an easy move, throwing a backflip and then going straight into a triple twist: in fact, it was one of the harder moves she had attempted. Taking a deep breath, Aelin began to run. Pushing herself, she whipped into the backflip, punched once and then twisted.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Then with a thump, she landed on her feet at the corner of the floor mat. With grim satisfaction, Aelin stalked off the floor.

A low whistle sounded, "Nice job shortie."

Aelin grinned at Lysandra, who was a scant inch taller than her. "Thanks."

"Off to your next class?" Lysandra asked.

"Of course," Aelin tossed over her shoulder as she collected her bag "Where else would I be going?" She didn't wait for a reply before walking out of the gymnastics area and into the change room. Aelin slipped into a spandex shirt and sweatpants, despite the heat in the gym or the fact that most female MMA fighters wore a sports bra and tight shorts, but Aelin didn't want any questions. Opening the door into the fighting arena, Aelin dropped her bag with a thump on the nearest bench.

"Good, you're here," Manon called. "Who are you going to take today?"

"How should I know? You know Brullo pairs us up accordingly."

"How about one of the new boys?" Manon said with a thrust of her chin to the opposite corner.

Aelin looked at the new trainees. One was tall, with a nasty tattoo going from his left temple all the way down his arm, silver hair and pine green eyes. That one she knew, but didn't dare approach, even though her heart clenched. The other was an inch shorter than him with golden hair and blue eyes, ringed with gold much like her own.

Ringed with gold?

 _Like her own?_

Shit.

Shit shit shit.

"Rowan and Aedion. Aedion's from an academy in Terrasen and Rowans from Wendlyn. Both look like they'll give you a good fight." Manon continued.

Rowan turned slightly at the sound of his name, glancing back over his shoulder. He locked eyes with Aelin, a look of marginal surprise flitting over his features.

 _Fireheart?_ He asked silently.

With an almost imperceptible shake of her head, she replied " _Not in front of my cousin. He doesn't know that I'm alive."_

 _When are you going to tell him, or show him, not to mention explain this?_

 _Soon._

Her heart ached because they had been separated for months now: she wanted to run into his arms and never let go, but couldn't without talking to her cousin first. When Brullo entered the room, Aelin quickly came up with a plan. Aedion still hadn't seen her, that was good, but they were in the same room. A very small room. Maybe, just maybe, she could get away with singular training today if she talked to Brullo _right now_.

"Alright, looks like we're all here. Group up by experience," Brullo called out.

Well, this day was going to hell.

Aelin stepped towards Brullo. "Do you think that I could get some solo time in today? I don't feel in the right mindset to fight."

"That's fine, take the back right corner," Brullo told her. The only reason he agreed so readily was because of her past and her unparalleled experience. She was one of his star pupils, after all.

With a nod and a sigh of relief, Aelin stalked over to the dark corner as Brullo began to call match pairings and introduce the new people. There was a quiet murmur from the group when Brullo told them that Aedion and Rowan would be staying in Ardalan for an unknown period of time and would be joining the class.

"Rowan and Aedion, take the ring," Brullo instructed.

They both did as they were told as if they were now used to it. Now this was a fight that Aelin would like to see, so she stopped hitting the punching bag. Sizing up the competition, well more so her cousin, to whom she wasn't alive, was a good idea.

In the dark corner, Aelin watched as Rowan and Aedion began to spar. Just like she remembered, Aedion smirked at Rowan before striking.

Holy burning hell.

Both of them moved with the ferocious agility that fighters dreamed of achieving and knew exactly where to strike. Each of the blows from both of them missed their intended target, due to the fact that they knew how to avoid them. When it was finally clear that Rowan would win, Aelin turned to the punching bag. Her muscles were sore from early morning Gymnastics, but she was used to that: you can't get to the top without some pain. Training was almost over when Manon called out to her, in a voice that begged trouble.

"Hey, golden girl! Fancy a fight? Just you and me, shoulders five seconds to the mat. Winner buys the other a bag of chocolates."

Damn. Manon always knew how to get Aelin in the ring. "You're on!" She called back, stalking to the ring.

Most of the trainees had gathered around. A Manon-Aelin fight was not something to miss. While cash bets were not allowed in training, you could still bet favors. The low murmur of betting surrounded the ring as Aelin and Manon climbed up. Both girls pulled their hair up and checked the wrappings on their hands. Aelin glanced over into the crowd to see if Aedion was watching. To her relief, and slight disappointment, he wasn't.

"You ready?" Brullo asked each of them. The fact that they were fighting over chocolates didn't shock him in the least.

Both nodded in agreement as Brullo backed out before yelling "FIGHT!" to start the match.

Manon went on the offensive as Aelin went on the defensive. They danced back and forth, punching, ducking and twisting to deflect and dodge blows. When Manon botched her kick and had to re-adjust her footing, Aelin switched to offensive.

Punch after punch Aelin threw, each one aiming for Manon's weak spots. They traded blows for several minutes, neither gaining an advantage, but the fight ended when Aelin whipped her left hand into Manon's stomach, grabbed her arms to force them to her shoulders and pressed a knee in the small of her back once the other girl hit the canvas.

"One," Brullo began.

Manon was thrashing, trying to get out of the hold that Aelin had her in. Aelin's only response was to push Manon's arms farther up. Gasping in pain and exhaustion, Manon went limp in her arms. Suddenly, she reared up in another desperate attempt to get out of the hold but fell back down when the pain became too much to bear.

"Five. You win, Ae-" Brullo began.

"Thanks. I expect hazelnut truffles in that bag of chocolates, Manon," Aelin stated, cutting Brullo off. She didn't need her name announced for everyone to hear, particularly not her cousin.

"That's it for the day. Scat, everyone," Brullo said.

Aelin vaulted out of the ring and made her way to her bag. Grabbing her half-full water bottle, Aelin drained the remaining liquid in two gulps and wiped her mouth on the back of her hand.

"Where'd you learn to fight like that?" A voice asked.

Aelin glanced over her shoulder. It wasn't Aedion: that was a small blessing in itself, but Rowan. Aelin looked back at her bag and rustled around for her second water bottle, "You know where, buzzard."

"Multiple years of training in Ardalan and surrounding countries," he said with a slight smile in his voice.

Every fiber of her being was begging and pleading for her to clutch onto him, but she held back. "You can be such a raging pain in my ass," she muttered.

Rowan snorted, "Likewise. So when do you plan on telling your cousin that you still exist?"

Aelin turned, a frown on her face. "And you care about this because?"

"Because you deserve to have some family with you and he deserves to know that his beloved cousin is still alive."

Aelin took a breath to tell Rowan exactly what he could do with his opinion, even though she knew he was right when another voice cut her off. "ROWAN! Are you coming or not?" Aedion interrupted. He now stood beside Rowan, which meant that he was right in front of Aelin.

Oh, Shit.

Aelin turned around, hoping that Aedion hadn't gotten too good a look at her face and wasn't putting two and two together.

"We're heading to an MMA match at Castle University," Rowan explained. Quickly sizing up the situation, he added, "I never did get your name, by the way."

"Celaena. Thanks for the offer, but I'll pass. I have another class to get to."

It was just her luck, her rotten luck, that Manon called to her from the other side of the gym. "Aelin! Let's go!"

Automatically, Aelin turned to the sound of her name. Realizing her mistake, she hissed slightly and brushed passed the hulking men in front of her. She could see Aedion putting the pieces together. Now was not the time to spring on him that his long-dead cousin was actually right here, in front of him. Her mind quickly clamped on to a plan of action to hide from Aedion. Running into the gym in the massive complex of the Rec center, Aelin dropped her bag behind one of the nearby trashcans. She raced into an empty dance studio and shut the door. Calculating the height of the roof, Aelin pushing her tired body into a full sprint and vaulted off the wall. Her hands in the fighting wraps slipped on the pipes in the roof but she found a purchase. Hauling herself up with years of practice and training, she shimmied into a gap in the piping. She had just managed to fully conceal herself in the roof of the studio when the door burst open. There was Aedion, looking frantically around the studio and Rowan, telling him that they would find her again. Aedion stalked around the room and looked everywhere. When he looked up Aelin held her breath praying that he wouldn't notice her. Aedion looked as if he had seen a ghost, and turned towards Rowan. He reassured him that they would find her, before letting Aedion pass out the door. Rowan looked up.

 _You had best tell him soon. I don't want to be covering your ass anymore._

Aelin bit her lip, holding back the retort to the last comment. _I will, I just need to figure out how._

 _Well, do it fast. I'll see you tomorrow Fireheart._ Then he turned and walked out the door.

As soon as Rowan had left, Aelin breathed a sigh of relief and dropped onto the floor with a thump. She pushed open the door cautiously and looked around the hallway, making sure nobody saw her. Grabbing her bag from behind the trashcans, Aelin walked through the rest of the Rec complex and pushed open the door, heading back to the bench where she had dropped her stuff before class. She had lied to Rowan and Aedion that she had another class, thank the gods. She was far too tired. Sighing quietly, Aelin went to the bench where she had forgotten her phone. She had noticed the person behind her in the shadows and had a fair idea who it was, but prayed she was wrong.

"I'd thought I'd find you here," A familiar voice said from behind.

Nope, not wrong.

This day just kept on getting worse.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey Everyone! Thank you so much for the reviews, favourites and follows: it made me so happy to see that people enjoyed (or are enjoying) my FanFic. Sorry about the super late chapter, I just hit one of my busyiest weeks of the month. Reviews, critiques and messages are always welcome: Should update soon!**

 **-Mistblade**

* * *

"What do you want Tern?" Aelin sighed.

"Arobynn wants to talk about you coming back to work for him."

This again. Aelin had just gotten out of Endovier nearly two years ago for a contest that the President was holding. His son, Dorian, had needed a "champion" to demonstrate his (or her) skills. The winner would get a place on the Castle University MMA team and would represent Ardalan in the Mixed Martial Arts World Championship.

The only catch was you had to work for the president. For four years.

Aelin had decided that working for the president for four years was better than being in Endovier. While Endovier was a prison, nearly all of the people in it hadn't done anything. They were all people from the countries that Ardalan had invaded. Nearly a year after Aelin had won and started working for the President, her now ex-boyfriend had bargained to send her to an elite academy across the sea. There she had trained with the best and had seen Rowan there. She was surprised that he hadn't recognized her. While she had trained there, the king had killed all of the prisoners in Endovier and it's twin, Calculla for an uprising. While she had no longer planned to work for the president, this had cemented her belief that the king had to be taken out of his position. Now Arobynn wanted her to come back and run with the gang she had been in.

"I said maybe. I still have to cement some things here," Aelin replied.

"No, he wants to talk. Tomorrow, in the warehouse."

Aelin nodded. "Tell him I'll be there."

As Tern walked out, Aelin sighed again. Walking over to the punching bag, Aelin re-wrapped her hands and pulled off her shirt. She had a sports bra underneath and it was pretty late, so the chances of someone coming here were small. She was here, so she might as well get in some extra training. After the fiasco with Aedion and Rowan, her muscles were not terribly sore. She sorted through thoughts as she hit a punching bag.

Jab- Arobynn was meeting her tomorrow.

Right hook- She had a match coming up

Kick- It was really late.

She paused her assault on the punching bag. The clock on the wall said it was nearly midnight. The only reason she was still in the gym was because the owners knew her. Grabbing æher bag, she shrugged on the oversized hoodie she had with her. Pulling out her phone, she fired a quick text to Lysandra about some early morning training. Without waiting for a response, Aelin put her phone in her pocket and opened the back door to the gym. The streetlights glowed yellow, illuminating the fairly clean ally behind the rec-centre. After hearing the door close with a bang, Aelin began a slow jog to her apartment two blocks away. The night air was starting to get chilly, as summer turned to fall, but Aelin had dealt with worse at Endovier. With her apartment insight, Aelin slowed to a walk. A few minutes later and she tumbled into bed, sweats and all.

…

Aelin blinked at the light filtering through her curtains. It was just past eight o'clock, according to her phone. Yawning hugely, Aelin began her morning routine. Frowning at her sweat-streaked hair, she jumped into a cold shower with a yelp. After a few chilly minutes, Aelin turned the shower to hot. Cold showers were good for waking you up and getting the blood flowing. When she emerged from the bathroom, clean and clothed in sweats and a t-shirt, her hair in a knot above her head, it was eight twenty. Wolfing down a huge breakfast, Aelin assembled her gym bag, laced up her sneakers and headed down the stairs. Her apartment wasn't really an apartment, more of a flat in an old warehouse. Before she had bought the place, the warehouse was used to hold smuggled goods, legal or not. Now it had a small gym set up in the left back corner and crates of miscellaneous things surrounding it, giving her cover. A good number of the crates held books that couldn't fit on her bookshelves, which were floor to ceiling and massively built. The warehouse was good cover for her; not many people would think to stay in one. Many years in crime had taught her to be tough and to hide in plain sight.

Opening the door to the street, Aelin saw that she had unwanted visitors. One was a auburn haired man with brown eyes, the other was a slender woman with shoulder-length brown hair. Chaol and Nesryn had stopped by.

"Chaol, Nesryn. What are you doing here?"

Nesryn glanced at her, then at Chaol. "We wanted to tell you to lie low. The President seems to think you're back."

"Thanks for the heads up. I'll stay quiet," Aelin responded.

Nesryn nodded and walked away, Chaol in tow. Aelin turned and began a brisk walk to her other home, the rec-centre. At her tempo, it took a little over three minutes to make it there. Going the the front desk, she scanned her pass and went straight into the Gym. At this hour, on the weekend, it was deserted. Lysandra had texted her back earlier saying that she didn't want to train and that Aelin should take a break. Shimmying out of her street-clothes to reveal her leotard, Aelin warmed up and went straight to the uneven bars. Not the shorter ones, but the largest set they had, with the bottom bar six feet in the air. With her hand grips on, Aelin jumped up and grabbed on. Pulling herself up, she flipped herself over the bar and swung forward. Gaining momentum, Aelin flung herself over to the highest bar. Whipping around, she flipped over. Doing these motions again, she had let go of the bar and flipped around when a voice called out.

"Aelin!"

Missing her grab, Aelin plummeted to the ground and hit the mats on her stomach. A bolt of pain flared around there and Aelin sucked in a breath, winded. Rolling over to her back, Aelin went to face the person who owned the voice. All she saw was a figure blocking out the lights. The figure offered a hand up, but Aelin brushed it away. Getting up, she turned to face the idiot who called out to her during a flip.

Seeing dark hair, she growled. "God's sake Lysandra, stop making me miss my flips."

Lysandra shrugged, "You need to get used to falling. There's a guy named Rowan here to see you."

"Tell him I'm busy."

"He said that is was life or death."

"Well then tell him to go to hell."

Lysandra chuckled, "He'd said you say that. His next piece was that if you don't come down, you don't get cake."

"To bad I don't want cake. If he needs to talk to me so much, he can come here."

"Alright," Lysandra said as she turned to leave. Stopping suddenly, she turned. "How do you even know this guy?"

"I met the raging pain in my ass that is Rowan at Mistward Academy. We trained together for a while." _More like he kicked my ass for that time,_ Aelin amended in her head.

Laughing, Lysandra walked away and out the door.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry guys, it's a bit shorter of a chapter than normal but I hope you enjoy anyways! Reviews are always welcome, thank you all _so_ much for the support, favorites and follows. It makes me happy to see that you are enjoying the story!**

 **-Mistblade**

* * *

When Rowan entered the gym, he saw Aelin doing tricks on floor.

That was putting it mildly.

Aelin was pulling stunts that even the bravest gymnasts didn't try for years. Triple arabians, back double punches, any combination of moves. What was so fascinating is she was mixing in her MMA training. During her flips she tucked tighter, she was mixing kicks and punches into her flips and twists. Rowan stood quietly, watching. Aelin, unaware pulled a double back handspring into a double pike. He heard her swear colourfully when she landed funny. With immortal grace, he walked up behind her.

"Need some help?" He asked.

Aelin whirled, fists up. She relaxed slightly, recognizing Rowan. "No. You think that I need it?"

"Fine, but if you're ankle is sprained because of your performance don't blame me."

Aelin stuck her out her tongue. "What do you want?" She asked as she limped over to the side of the floor.

"I don't know. How about an explanation, Aelin?"

By that point, Aelin was sitting and wrapping her ankle. When he said her name with such venom, she started. "What? Do you think that because you're in with my cousin you get my life's story?"

"No, but I think that as your fellow training member from both Mistward Academy and here that I deserve some explanation."

"No."

At that one word, Rowan whipped around. Aelin gazed back at him defiantly, "Just because you were at Mistward and you trained with me, I don't have to tell you anything. Not a SINGLE DAMN THING!"

The shouting got the attention of the gymnasts who were there for training. Rowan growled, "Then what are you going to tell Aedion?"

"Nothing yet," Aelin said curtly.

"What about training?"

"I won't be there," She said. "I have a meeting."

"Fine. You do what you want. But if you go back to the way you were in Mistward, it's not my fault."

Aelin's only response was to grab her bag and head out. Rowan didn't know the first thing about her past life, she hadn't told him about any details. All he knew is that she was running away from her past. She snorted, finding it funny that she was heading right to the man who had dictated her past. Pushing open the doors, Aelin strolled outside into the sunny day. It was absurdly happy, with the sky cloudless and the birds chirping to one-another. Strolling down Kingscott way, Aelin made a sharp right then left into the warehouse district. Looking up and around she made sure that there wasn't anyone tailing her. Spotting a second story window that was half open, Aelin began to climb up. It wasn't terribly hard: her runners were grippy enough for good traction and she had been doing this for most of her life. Sliding through the window, Aelin dropped soundlessly onto the walkway. She could hear muted voices coming from below her. Dismounting, she fell to the ground and rolled into the dark warehouse. Shifting into a swaggering walk took less than a heartbeat.

A voice from the back called out to her: "Celaena, so wonderful to see you again. I see that exile is treating you well."

Aelin turned to face Arobynn. He was the same as ever: long auburn hair and steel gray eyes, well muscled and lounging as if he hadn't a care in the world. From past experiences, Aelin knew that the relaxed posture was a ruse; Arobynn was always ready to fight.

"Arobynn, what do you want?" was her wary response. She did not want to work for him, not one bit. But with the look in his eyes, she could see that he had an ace up his sleeve.

"I just wanted to ask you if you were interested in a competition that's happening," he said, the gleam still there.

"Why? What do you know that could possibly interest me?"

"I heard from a little birdy that your newly arrived cousin would be partaking in a match."

"Who is the competitor and who told you this?" She asked. Aedion partaking in a match was not the worst thing in the world; but the competitor...

"I did," Arobynn smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes, "and the competitor is the Shadow."

The words that ran through her head were so vulgar that even sailors would be amazed. Aedion fighting the Shadow? She couldn't let that happen, because there were two people who went as the Shadow: an fighter who fought to kill and herself.

"How nice," Aelin responded, as blandly as she could. "I suppose that I wouldn't be posing as the Shadow this round?"

"No, not this round. Have you considered working for me again?" Arobynn's change of the subject almost caught Aelin off guard.

Almost.

"I don't know; I still have to think over it. Suppose I did come back to work for you, would you let me fight in my cousin's place? I've always wanted to know who would come out on top: the shadow or I," Aelin forced herself to be indifferent, even though her body was screaming it was a trap.

"I could make that arrangement, provided you worked both the MMA and Gymnastic rings: clean or dirty for at least three months." Arobynn glanced at his nails, the picture of boredom.

"Well then, I suppose that I could do that. But I thought that you had Lysandra for gymnastics."

"An extra competitor never went amiss. Do we have a deal?"

"We do.

They clasped hands, sealing the deal.

Aelin could only think that she had made a big mistake; but if it came with her cousins safety it was worth it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello Readers! I am super sorry that this took so long to get up, but I got to catch up with my "good friend" writers block. (Yay me.) Anyways, I hope you enjoy! I'm looking for things your suggestions, so message me if you have ideas or things that you want to happen. As always, reviews are welcome! -Mistblade**

* * *

Training was just wrapping up when Aelin kicked open the doors. She didn't want to talk, she just wanted to bloody her knuckles on something or someone. The first person to catch her eye was Rowan.

"You and me, in the ring until somebody forfeits. Deal?" She snarled.

Rowan just looked at her with those blank green eyes. Damn him, damn everyone.

"Anybody? Anybody want to fight?" She shouted as she turned in a circle, fixing everyone with her turquoise-gold eyes. She spotted Manon and Asterion in the back corner, talking.

"Manon! You and Asterion against me until someone forfeits. You game?" Aelin called.

The wicked glint in their eyes gave her an answer. Vaulting into the ring, the three of them took up ready stances. Asterion lunged left while Manon pivoted and kicked. Ducking the kick and whirling out of Asterion's path, Aelin flipped Manon onto the mat. Asterion knocked her over but Aelin hopped up. This dance continued for a while until Manon and Asterion pinned her down. Glancing back, she could see people coming to stop the match.

"Yield," Manon said.

"Never," Aelin said with clenched teeth.

In a flash, Aelin kicked off Asterion and pulled herself out from under Manon. She felt her shoulders scream in protest as she flipped over Manon's head and wrapped her newly freed arm around Manon's neck, putting her in a headlock. Dragging Manon with her, Aelin kicked Asterion down and put her foot on the stomach.

"Forfeit, Manon?" Aelin said sweetly.

"Fine. I forfeit," Manon said with a grimace.

Aelin released Manon from the choker hold and removed her foot from Asterion. Aelin saw the shocked faces of the people training. At least she felt better.

Pushing her way past the crowd, Aelin went to a punching bag. She didn't really care what she was doing, so Aelin just pummelled the bag as she ran over everything she needed to get done. Find Dorian and free him from whatever hell he was in, figure out what the hell was going on with Aedion, deal with Arobynn and the rest of the assassins. Then there was the whole Rowan mess…

Aelin turned at the sound of the door, seeing Aedion walking into the room. The hell burning in her eyes dimmed as she took in her cousin. Gods he was huge. Aedion sauntered over to Rowan, talking easily. Looking around, most of the people had left the gym after the Witch vs. Aelin match. Turning back to the bag, Aelin gave up on just punching and kicked. She let herself sink into the rhythm of fighting. Starting at the sound of her name, she landed an extra hard kick onto the bag, breaking it. Aelin looked at the speaker, seeing Aedion. In the blink of an eye he had her wrapped up in a bear hug, crushing the air out of her lungs.

"Aedion. Can't. Breath." Aelin gasped.

Aedion relaxed his grip slightly, but refused to let go of her. Rowan stood in the back corner, watching. After a few minutes he decided to give the cousins some privacy. Squirming out of Aedions grip, she looked at him. His face had lines and scars that weren't there when she had last seen him, but that had been over a decade ago. Silver lined her eyes.

"I missed you," she said, hugging him again. "Gods, I'm so sorry for what I've done."

Aedion pushed her away to look at her face, "I don't care what you've done. You survived, I survived. Now we can work things out together."

"Okay. Where are you staying?"

"Someone offered Rowan and I a place to stay. Real big name in MMA and Gymnastics. Why?"

"Just curious. You know, you could stay with me if you want," Aelin offered.

"Maybe soon. Will you be at practice tomorrow? Can I get your number?" Aedion asked.

"Yes and Yes. I have to head out; I have a meeting." Aelin quickly gave Aedion her number and saluted Rowan. "See you tomorrow."

Aelin looked at Arobynn. Her 'meeting' was actually Arobynn's assessment. Standing quietly in the ring, Aelin waited for commands.

"Triple twist punch front," Arobynn stated.

Aelin obliged, twisting rapidly through the air. She turned and waited for his next instruction.

"Double whip, 780, straddled Arabian, layout."

Aelin grimaced. These were some of the better tricks she knew. Over and over, the ground tilted as Aelin flipped, twisted and jumped. Panting slightly, she looked over at Arobynn. He smirked back at her and turned to Mullin, one of his henchmen. They discussed briefly and turned back to her.

"Triple whip, Arabian Double pike, double double, back triple twist, punch front."

Aelin glared at him, "That's impossible. Are you trying to kill me?"

Arobynn chuckled, "Come now, surely you can do it. I've seen lesser gymnasts do it."

"Bullshit. The last person to try this almost DIED."

"Almost is not dead," He replied.

"She's in a coma now and is paralyzed," Aelin shot back.

"Well, I guess that I could talk to Aedion and Rowan about getting back into the ring," Arobynn said casually.

Her blood turned to ice. "How…" Internally she cursed herself. Of course the big name in MMA and Gymnastics that they were staying with was Arobynn.

"They're staying in the Keep."

Taking a deep breath, Aelin prepped herself for the impossible. She could see the quiet triumph in Arobynn's eyes. Running, Aelin flipped over herself to do the triple whip, pushed off for the arabian double pike. Punching back, she twisted and flipped to gain momentum for the double double. Almost missing the landing, she caught herself in time. Two last elements. She could do this. Executing the triple twist, Aelin punched front and stood. She could feel her legs trembling and that her shoulder was almost out of rotation.

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" Arobynn smiled.

"I'm leaving. I'll see you again for MMA," Aelin shot back as she strode out of the building. As soon as she got out of the sight of the building, Aelin fell to the curb and phoned Lysandra.

She picked up on the third ring, "Aelin? What's up?"

"I need you to get me. I'll tell you what happened in the car. I'm on Prince Avenue," Aelin rasped.

"I'm on my way. Hang tight," Lysandra replied before ending the call.

Five minutes later Lysandra arrived and opened the door. "What happened?"

"Arobynn asked me to do an impossible combo: triple whip, Arabian double pike, double double, back triple twist, punch front. My shoulder's screwed up and my legs are shot."

"Wait, that was the combo that almost killed…"

"Nehemia Ytger," Aelin finished.

"But you, you did it?" Lysandra asked as she pulled up to the warehouse.

"Barely." Aelin pulled herself out of the car, "Thanks."

"Anytime. Call me if you need something else," Lysandra said before Aelin shut the door and walked away.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Hello readers! I am so sorry for the long wait. Thanks for all the reviews, favourites and follows as always. Shout out to Yelena123, CrayCray3 and Dorian Havilliard. Check the bottom for more news, if you're so inclined... Enjoy! - Mistblade**

Aelin could barely get out of bed the next morning. Despite an ice bath, stretch and then a hot Epsom-salt bath, she was still wincing with every movement. How she would deal with training was beyond her. Sighing, she packed her bag and began to shuffle her way to the gym. Tomorrow she was showing Arobynn her MMA skills, so she needed to be sharp. Pushing open the doors and nodding at the complex owners, Aelin walked into they Gym. First it was MMA then gymnastics. Spotting a cluster of people chatting, Aelin dropped her bag in a corner and suited up. She turned her back to the wall so that nobody would see the massive scars. Aelin sighed, realizing that the life she was trying to leave behind was chasing after her and was determined to keep her. She glanced up, seeing the group approaching her.

"What's going on?" Aelin asked warily.

Manon seemed to be the designated spokesperson. "Where were you last night? You missed a match between the other gym," She stated flatly.

Shit. That was last night? "Training in the gym. I couldn't make it because of a gymnastic fitness test," Aelin replied.

"What took so long? You normally ace those in a few minutes," Asterion piped up.

Scrubbing her forehead, Aelin winced again at the flicker of pain. "I'll show you after training, okay? My muscles are sore from what I did."

"Fine, but it had better be worth the time."

 _Oh, it is._ "Alright," Aelin replied as Rowan and Aedion entered.

Training kicked into full gear. Aelin's muscles began to relax with the rhythm of fighting. Within a few minutes, she felt back to normal. Going through her routines slightly marked, training passed in a blur of punches and shouts. When she finally stopped, Aelin turned to the rest of the gym and shouted:

"Be in the Gymnastics gym in five if you want to see what the holdup was."

Grabbing her bag, she pulled out her full back leotard that was black. Pulling her hair up into a tight bun and slipping into her leo in the change rooms, Aelin walked out into the gym. Manon was leaning against the doorframe.

"What's it on? Bars, Floor, Beam, Vault or Tramp?" She asked.

"Floor. You'd best stand back, for all of our safeties," Aelin replied.

The MMA fighters and early gymnasts gathered around the floor amid whispers.

"Bet you it's not a good trick," One person said.

Aelin gritted her teeth. They would all shut up soon enough. After doing some simple warm ups, Aelin stood on the corner to do the impossible again. Lysandra stood nearby and winked at her. Aelin just smiled, feeling a flicker of doubt at doing this again.

"Stand back from the floor if you don't want to get kicked in the face," Lysandra called out.

Nodding, Aelin raised her arm to signal that she was starting. Pulling herself to her full height and jumping slightly, she broke into a run. For the second time in two days, Aelin began to flip over herself. The triple whip, Arabian double pike and double-double passed in a blur, despite weak and overused muscles. Next came the back triple twist, which passed after a moment of pain. When Aelin punched front, she felt her shoulder pop. Gasping, she landed, turned to the audience and saluted with one arm before she collapsed to the floor and closed her eyes. Murmurs turned to shouts as audience crowded around her. Before she could wave them away, a voice beat her to it.

"Back off, give her some space!" A male voice shouted.

The entire gym fell silent at that voice. Two voices told the spectators to go about their business as Aelin could feel her body lifted into the air as a pine and snow scent enveloped her. That meant that Rowan was holding her. Wait, had he shouted?

"Does she have a place to go?" Rowan asked. Aelin could feel the vibrations against her side.

"Yah. I'll take you there," Lysandra said.

The sound of three footsteps filled the hall. Aelin opened her eyes and looked at who she with. Growling at her weakness, she muttered about idiots and men.

"Put me down. I can walk you know," She told Rowan.

"No. You collapsed, which you haven't done since Wendlyn," He replied curtly.

Lysandra opened the door to her car and Aedion plopped in, motioning for Rowan to pass Aelin. Rowan placed Aelin gently on the seat and sat down next to her, fastening his seatbelt as Aedion did the same for Aelin. With the three of them in the back seat, Lysandra sat down behind the wheel. Leaning against the back seat, Aelin closed her eyes. Too much strain on her body for 24 hours. When the Lysandra cut the engine, Rowan opened the door and slid out, motioning for Aelin. Before Aedion could help her, Aelin slid out and stood up shakily. She would be damned if a guy helped her to her own apartment. Wobbling, she forced herself up the stairs that led to her penthouse. When she opened the door, she made her way to the couch and sat down. Aedion, Lysandra and Rowan trailed her into the room. She motioned for them to sit down.

"Lysandra, did you make sure that we weren't followed?" She asked when Lysandra stayed standing.

"Of course. I'd stay longer but I need to get back," Lysandra answered.

Aelin nodded, then turned to the guys. "Sit down," She said. When the guys hesitated, she glared and said more forcefully, "Sit your asses down."

Both complied, not wanting to mess with the steel in her voice. That was pure-bred alpha right there. Aelin sighed, then scrubbed her face with exhaustion.

"What have you heard about Arobynn Hamel?" She asked.

Aedion was the first to reply, "That he's a big player in the MMA and gymnastics scene." Rowan nodded in agreement.

Calculated calm filled Aelins' eyes, "Oh, so I suppose you missed the part that he's the _biggest crime lord_ in the _entire damn city?_ "

Rowan looked at her, then realized their mistake.

 **So you know readers, I will be tweaking a few previous chapters thanks to Yelena123's comment about the Aedion/Aelin meeting. Dorian Havilliard, I'm working towards Dorian joining the dogpile. CrayCray3 and many others, thanks for all the positive reviews! Have a great week!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I had a lovely visit from my good friend, Writers Block, hence the very late update! No new edits have been made in the previous chapters. I'll be sure to let you all know when those change! Enjoy the chapter and as always, reviews are welcome! -Mistblade**

"He was your old master, wasn't he?" Rowan asked.

Aelin sighed and squeezed the bridge of her nose, "Yes."

Aedion gaped, "You worked for Arobynn?"

Aelin looked at him. "I still do, thank's to your idiocy."

Both of the men stared at her. "What do you mean?" Rowan asked quietly.

"Both of you were going to work for him, weren't you? Fighting in the rings?"

"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?" Aedion jumped in.

"Did he tell you that it was in both the clean _and dirty_ rings?" From the blank look on their faces, it was a no. "For your sakes, I made a deal with him. Now I'm working in the rings _and_ in the gymnastic circuit and you aren't."

"We can take care of ourselves," Aedion grumbled.

Aelin laughed shortly, "Yes, I'm sure you can. But I _know_ Arobynn and his tricks. He's going to underpay you and put you in fights that are three against you. Don't you understand? _This was my LIFE_." She stood up and winced, "I'm going to take a your belongings and move here within the next hour because I'm not going to let you stay in the Keep."

Rowan and Aedion looked at her and then stood up uncertainly.

" _GO,"_ She growled.

The boys left out the door. Walking, more so hobbling, to the bathroom, Aelin turned on the taps and let the water flow until it was scalding, shucked off her clothes and stepped in. The water enveloped her like a hug. Surrendering to the heat, Aelin leaned back.

" _Well,"_ She thought, " _That went well."_

* * *

A knock on the door broke her doze. The water in her tub had long since cooled from its previous temperature.

"Aelin, you in there?" A soft voice asked. Aelin guessed that it was Rowan; Aedion seemed the type to burst in unannounced.

"I'll be out in a minute!" She called, standing and reaching for a towel.

Wrapping herself in a fluffy white towel, Aelin opened the door. There was Rowan, leaning against the door frame.

"Where's Aedion?" Aelin asked.

"He took longer to pack up. He wanted to make sure that we couldn't be followed, so he headed to Lysandra's place."

"Smart idea. Who's was it?"

"Mine. I figure that Aedion and Lysandra would be more convincing than Lysandra and me."

"Lovely. Now, unless you have news that will kill me, Aedion or destroy the world within five minutes, let me change," Aelin said as she glided down the hall.

She heard Rowan draw a breath as if to speak, but no words came. Turning, Aelin saw his eyes go quiet with predatory calm. Puzzled to what was causing this reaction, Aelin felt a cold breeze on her shoulder blades.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Her shoulder blades weren't covered, meaning he could see some of the scars. Now would come the questions, then pity and apologies. Aelin was so tired to stories and lies.

"What happened?" He asked, quietly, calmly. He took a step forward and pushed down the back of the towel, exposing the entire mass of ruined flesh.

Aelin loosed a heavy breath, "Acid attack in prison. Some people thought that they'd teach me a lesson."

He opened his mouth, then closed it. Without a word, he spun on his heel and down the hall. Some muttering met her ears as Aelin moved to her room, but she was beyond caring. Someone was going to find out about her past sooner or later, so it might as well be the boys.

* * *

Rowan stalked to the training area set up downstairs. He didn't really know what he was doing, all he could see was Aelin's back. Her back covered in scars and burns from her life before. Without wrapping his hands, Rowan threw punch after punch at the bag. He didn't stop when his knuckles began to bleed, or when he felt something pop in his hand. All he could see was Aelin's soft form, marred from her past life. She had been in her teens when she had gone to prison, in her teens when they decided to "teach her a lesson". What was worse is that this beautiful, fierce soul had been forced to hell and back. Trained to fight without mercy, to laugh at death. When she had first come to Wendlyn, she was completely shattered. It had taken months to put her back together and even now Rowan doubted her sanity. He couldn't let something else happen to her. With every punch he threw, something in him became more focused.

He was going to rip the bastards that did this to shreds, starting with Arobynn.

When Rowan entered the flat, Aelin looked at his hands. She was too tired to sass him about not wrapping his hands up, so she motioned him to the couch as she went to grab some medical supplies. Rowan walked over and sat down when Aelin returned with the first aid kit and some warm water. Taking his hands in hers, she looked at the bleeding knuckles and sighed before starting to clean them. Rowan just watched Aelin do her task methodically.

"Are you okay?" She asked quietly.

"I'm fine," He replied curtly.

Aelin looked up from her task to gauge his reaction. Finding nothing, she turned back to his hands. She had finished the left one and was starting on the right. After a few minutes, the silence was broken by Rowan.

"How did you manage?" He asked quietly.

Aelin stopped and looked up. "Clearly I didn't. You saw how bad I was in Wendlyn."

"No, the pain. It must have hurt like hell."

Aelin looked back at his hands. "One of the women who was in the same block as I was helped clean my back. That was some of the most intense pain I've felt. It was as though my back was being peeled off. After she finished helping me, well, the same people decided that she needed a lesson. They used her and then…" Aelin trailed off.

Tying up the right hand, Aelin pulled her hands back. Before she could get too far, Rowan grabbed her wrists and looked her in the eye.

"I'm sorry for all the crap I gave you," He started. "If I had known, I wouldn't have…"

Aelin cut him off by placing a hand on his mouth. "Stop. I didn't tell you because… well, because I didn't want you to pity me, or to mock me, or to take it as an excuse."

"Like a good fighter or gymnast," He said softly.

Aelin nodded before changing the subject, "I'm assuming you brought your things over from the Keep?"

"Yes, but there isn't much. Where should I put it?"

"My room. You and I can share, just like Mistward," Aelin said as she stood up and winced: even after the bath she was incredibly sore.

Rowan huffed, "Are you sure this is appropriate?"

"It's my damn house, I'll do whatever I want."


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello my lovely readers! Good news: I said goodbye to my friend Writers block, so updates should be coming more regularly. No edits have been made in the previous chapters. Is anybody super excited about the new TOG5 title? Empire of Storms, I can't wait! Enjoy the chapter, Mistblade**

* * *

When Aedion got home, he was greeted by the sight of Aelin lounging on the couch and Rowan leaning in the door with his hands wrapped up. He had gotten a message that he should come home from Aelin, telling him it wasn't urgent. From the looks on their faces and the tension in the room, something had happened.

"Good you're back," Aelin said as she stood, "Here are three things to remember: One, I don't want to hear any shit when I get back. I know what I'm doing. Two, Aedion you'll be sleeping in the guest room; Rowan's sharing with me. Not a word," She paused, then continued, "Three applies to both of you. If you break my things, or eat my chocolate I _will_ kill you with a spoon. Are we clear?"

Rowan huffed, "Obviously."

Aedion glanced between the two of them, trying to figure out what had happened. He realized that Aelin was waiting for a response, "Okay. Where are you headed?"

"To Ar-that's not important," She replied curtly before she stalked out the door.

"She's headed to Arobynn, isn't she?" Aedion quietly asked Rowan.

Rowan nodded tightly. He didn't like the fact that Aelin was risking her life for him. After what had happened in Wendlyn, it should be the other way around. But he had gotten her into this whole mess, and now she was paying the price. Now the deal that Arobynn had covertly offered him was looking enticing, because it was a way to save Aelin.

"You and I should go train," was all Rowan said to Aedion.

* * *

When Aelin returned to the apartment, she was exhausted. Arobynn had put her up against his strongest fighters, which she had beaten. Then she had a meeting with the bank manager, another with Lysandra about her plan and then she had to ask Chaol's men about the situation on Dorian. Needless to say, when Chaol found out he was less than pleased, and Aelin had to sort out that fiasco. She just wanted a bath so hot she turned into a lobster.

Aelin ran the water until it steamed and climbed in, yelping at the heat. She sat back and let the bubbles soothe her mind and the heat relax her muscles. She could hear quiet noises outside of the door. So Rowan and Aedion must have returned from wherever they were. Her guess was training, which she had missed again. Coach was so not going to be happy. The noises faded away from the door and then the appartment was silent. They boys must have gone out to do something, what had yet to be determined.

When the water had cooled and Aelin looked like a prune, she finally got out of the bath and sauntered over to her room. Going to the walk-in closet, Aelin grabbed a pair of sweats and a thick hoodie. She pulled her hair into a braid and went to find some chocolate. Gods know she needed it. Finding multiple types to her delight, Aelin grabbed her book and went to the sofa.

"I'll go be productive in fifteen minutes," she muttered to herself.

Her book was just starting to get good when the boys found her. Aedion said something to Rowan quietly before heading off into the bathroom. Rowan just watched Aelin sit quietly and flip the page. When she looked up at him, quietly and calm, Rowan noticed the bruise on her cheekbone. Swearing under his breath, he walked over to her and sat down. Aelin winced marginally at the amount of jostling that caused.

"What," She asked when Rowan just stared.

"You have a bruise on your cheekbone. I don't believe that's the only thing that's bruised. What did he do to you?"

"I said I wanted no shit when I got back," She gritted.

Rowan sighed and his shoulders slumped. "I'm only asking because I care," he muttered.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Nothing, your right. You know what you're doing."

"Damn straight. Now I need to go change, I have more work to do."

Aelin stood up and stretched, making her hoodie rise an inch or so, letting Rowan see a bit of her toned stomach. On the side of her hip was a bruise. Internally, Rowan hissed: externally he blinked.

"What work could you possibly have?" He asked.

"Work that involves my bed: it's called sleep," She replied. "You should try it sometime."

"I'll meet you in there," He called.

* * *

When Rowan walked into the room, Aelin wasn't in bed. Figuring that she must be grabbing a book or getting ready for bed, Rowan peeled off his shirt and climbed into bed. He lay on his back, thinking about the day. Aedion had asked for his help trying to figure out what Aelin was doing and then had taken him out to meet some friends. Rowan had left afterwards to train some more, knowing that Aelin was still in the appartement. Sometimes you just need to be left alone and that's exactly the vibe Rowan was getting from Aelin.

The closet door creaked open, revealing Aelin in one of his shirts. It was so big it hit the tops of her thighs, like a short nightgown. Underneath he could make out the lines of her underwear. What really stopped him short were the bruises kissing her skin and the scars covering the canvas of her skin. She looked like she had taken some serious hits today, judging by the massive bruise covering her calf and the bottom of a bruise peeking out from the bottom of her shirt, right by her hip.

She stopped and looked at him, "What?"

"What happened today?"

She sighed, and Rowan stared at her lips. "I thought that I wanted not shit when I got home, but seeing as you clearly give a horse's ass… I was training."

"With whom?" He questioned as she climbed into bed.

"A couple of friends across town. It's an elite gym with exclusive membership."

" _Translation; she was with Arobynn."_ He thought to himself.

The steady sound of Aelin's deep and even breathing, told Rowan that she was asleep. Rowan stared up at the ceiling and grit his teeth. This was not going to be good, not at all. It took all his self control in the day to _not_ kiss her. With this new distraction, all the barriers he had up were steadily being torn down. He didn't want to add onto the stress of her life and he wasn't sure what Aelin wanted. For now, he'd be her friend. That would have to do. Closing his eyes, Rowan fell into an uneasy sleep.

Sometime later in the night Aelin jolted up, throwing herself out of her nightmare. Glancing at Rowan to check he was still asleep, she shimmied out of bed and sat on the floor. Breathing deep with her head in her knees, Aelin tried to shake the brutal image of Rowan being whipped to death in front of her, Maeve smiling over his corpse as two faceless members of the Cadre led her to the cells from Endovier and locking her in the dark. Peeking up onto the bed, Aelin slid her hand onto Rowan's arm. Real. This wasn't some vivid dream. Losing a breath of relief and glancing at the clock, finding it was a little past four am, Aelin stood up and got to work.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hello Dear Readers! (I'm not quite sure what to call you fabulous people). Thank's for all the support in this process, really helps when I hit a mental block. If you have any suggestions about where you want the plot to go, or what you want to be changed, IM me or leave a review: I read all of them! This chapter is longer than most of the ones I've written, so I hope you enjoy! -Mistblade**

* * *

Rowan rolled over to find Aelin sitting in the chair in the corner of the room, yawning, sipping a cup of coffee, and reading. Quietly bookmarking her page, Aelin put down her cup of coffee and stretched leisurely. Rowan watched, smiling inside at how calm she looked.

"Good morning," He rumbled.

Aelin shivered at his husky morning voice, "Good morning lazy-bones."

Rowan chuckled, "How long have you been up, early bird?"

"Since four AM. Over three hours ahead of you."

Sitting up on the bed and stretching his arms above his head, he got up and walked to the bathroom. "I'm going to shower. I'll see you out in the kitchen?"

"Sure," she replied as she sprung out of the chair in a lithe movement. A few seconds later he heard the tell-tail noise of pots and pans being moved around. When arrived in the kitchen there was toast, eggs and bacon on a plate with two types of jam by a knife. Aelin was sitting at the kitchen table, sipping another cup of coffee and reading her book.

"Don't you want actual food?" He asked, not seeing another plate with food near her.

"I already ate." She rolled her eyes, "Don't worry about me."

Looking at the clock, Rowan saw that it was eight. "Where's Aedion?" He asked.

"Out with friends, or more so Lysandra," She replied as she flipped the page.

Sitting down at the table across her, he scrutinized her appearance. There was something she was hiding beneath her calm exterior, some tidal wave of emotions that was going to break through at any moment.

"What do you have planned today? I was thinking that we could go get some things for the place," Rowan asked.

She hummed, then turned to him. "I've got a few meetings with some friends and trainers and late afternoon gymnastics training. How about at noon? Does that work for you?" Aelin asked, looking at him expectantly.

"For sure," he said without a thought. Everything in his schedule could be rearranged to fit that time.

* * *

Aelin looked at the package on the table. Rowan would almost be home to go shopping with her. She could smell the perfume wafting off the wrapping and the box. Picking up the card, she flipped it open and read the short words in it.

 _C-_

 _Here is a gift for you. I hope you'll wear it to our dinner in three weeks time. Feel free to bring your friends._

 _Second, your first match is at the Hatch, four days from now. The fight starts at 7:30._

 _Regards your Majesty,_

 _~A_

Opening the package, she found exactly what she expected. Lotion, body wash, shampoo, conditioner and perfume all in the same scent: sweet almond. Re-wrapping it, she brought the card to her room with the box. Sliding the box into the back of the cabinet near the sink, she brought the card to the nightstand near her side of the bed and locked it in her tamper-proof box.

A door slammed shut. "Aelin?" Rowan called into the apartment.

"I'll be right there!" She shouted back. Grabbing her purse, wallet and phone she stepped into the foyer. Shrugging on her leather jacket, Aelin turned to Rowan and smiled.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Yup. You're driving?"

"I guess I am now," He chuckled as he opened the door for her.

Sliding into the car, Rowan turned on the radio. After a few seconds, Aelin reached over and changed it to the classical station.

"You okay with this?" She asked.

"This is fine. Just out of curiosity, why classical?" He replied.

"Oh! I used to love going to the symphony to listen to the music. I would still go if the President hadn't shut down the theater," She finished with her brow furrowing.

When the song switched to the Symphony, Aelin started to hum along. Rowan couldn't help smiling. Turning off the road to the market, the sound of vendors shouting their wares filled the silence outside of the car. Parking, Rowan reached to the keys to turn off the ignition but Aelin held up a hand. The Symphony crescendoed up and up, finally hitting a shattering chord, finishing the song.

"Alright, now you can turn it off," Aelin said as she jumped out of the car.

Rowan flipped off the ignition and got out as well. He was impressed that Aelin wasn't shuffling around after the beating she took yesterday and the fact that she was up at four.

"Hey, Rowan! Are you coming or not?" Aelin called.

Rowan walked over to her and together they strolled through the market, getting food and clothes for the apartment. Well, the food was for the apartment, the clothes were mostly for Aelin with some for Rowan. While in the market, Aelin begged Rowan into buying chocolate. He relented without much of a fight. He was watching Aelin talk animatedly about how things were, how gymnastics was going and her ideas. Her eyes lit up when they landed on a stand selling books.

He groaned, "We are never going to leave now."

"Oh hush. I'll only browse for a few minutes," She chastised.

Browsing turned into buying, and a few minutes turned into an hour.

* * *

When Rowan and Aelin returned to the apartment, Aedion was sitting on the couch. Between the two of them they had several bags on each arm, filled with food, books, clothes and gods know what else.

"There you guys are. How was shopping?" He asked, smirking slightly.

"It was fine, no thanks to you," Aelin shot back, amused at his expression.

Rowan and her continued to the kitchen to put away their haul. Sensing Aedion behind her, Aelin turned and passed him the bag containing books.

"Find a place of a bookcase for these please," She said sweetly.

Shaking his head at his cousin's antics, Aedion went to put away the books. It was not an easy task, seeing as the bookshelves lining the far wall were bursting with books. After several minutes, he finally managed to put all the books away.

"How many books do you have?" Aedion asked when Aelin walked by.

"430, not including double copies," she answered.

His jaw dropped, "Have you read them all?"

"Obviously," she smirked.

"Oh, right. I remembered that Choal wanted to talk to you," He shouted.

"Alright," she groaned back.

Aelin continued on her path to her room. She had a few things to grab before training. Pushing open the door, she grabbed her workout bag. Checking her phone, she saw one new message.

"Hey, you know who it is. Meet after training?"

Sliding the phone into her pocket, she shouted that she was leaving for training. Hearing Aedion's reply, she started the short walk to the gym. Training was the same as usual. The coach told her not to miss any more sessions but otherwise left her alone. Going through her basic routines, she prepared to meet Lysandra after training. They had plans they needed to run through, plans about Arobynn's demise.

* * *

After her meeting with Lysandra, Aelin made her way to one of Chaol's meeting spots. He always did a routine check of them. It was now sometime in the night and the stars were a riot of light overhead. Sighing, Aelin checked her watch. She had been waiting for several minutes. Seeing at Chaol should have come by this place now. Knowing that she would have to meet him during his morning rounds she quickly scratched out a note in the dirt. Coding it so that nobody could read it, Aelin spun on her heel and headed back to her apartment.

"Hey, what took you so long?" Aedion questioned when she got back.

"Oh, nothing. I just was having a chat with some friends. I'm going to head to bed, I want to take an early morning run," Aelin fibbed.

"Well, in that case, goodnight," He said, bemused. Aelin wasn't one to go to bed early.

Making her way to her, well her and Rowan's, room. Putting on a nightgown, she quickly got ready and climbed into bed. Soon she heard the door open and Rowan come in.

"Going somewhere early? You don't normally go to bed this soon," He questioned.

"Yah, I'm just going for an early morning run," she told him.

"Want some company?" He asked.

"Not really. I'm using it as a chance to clear my mind. Maybe next time?" She offered.

"Alright," was the last word he said before they lapsed into silence. Feeling the bed dip and cold air run down her back, Aelin knew that he had climbed into bed. She heard him pull in a breath.

"What are you wearing?" He asked sharply.

Aelin turned over to face him, "A nightgown. What of it?"

"I didn't know you had such… interesting… tastes," Rowan said, stumbling for the right word.

"Have you never seen scandalous nightgowns, Prince?" She asked, using his nickname.

"Not like that," He muttered.

"Surely women in Doranelle had such interesting nightwear?"

"My encounters with the women usually didn't involve clothes, Fireheart," He shot back.

"Well, if I'm going to scandalize you it should be in something you find appealing. So, what will it be?"

Rowan dropped quiet. Taking it as a signal that he was done talking, Aelin rolled back over and closed her eyes.

"Gold, real gold," Rowan said a few minutes later.

Aelin loosed a breathy laugh, "Sorry Prince, I wouldn't be caught dead with something so flamboyant."

The two of them fell into silence again, both trying to fall asleep. As Aelin drifted off, she thought back to the note she had left.

teCre MeCHe rouF tA.

 _Meet Here CC At Four._


	9. Chapter 9

**Ohmygosh was this ever a difficult one! I really want to thank everyone for holding on: the editing process has begun on the first few chapters (Huzzah!) and I finally have a general direction of where this story is going.**

 **If anybody has any input on what they would like to see in the story or would like to Beta-Read, send me a PM.**

 **As always, Constructive criticism welcomed with open arms (seriously). Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Mistblade**

* * *

Rowan woke up and reached across the bed only to find cold sheets. Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes and looked at the clock. Seven AM. Showering and getting dressed, Rowan walked into the kitchen. Aelin was already there, sitting on the counter and nursing a cup of coffee. She stared into vacantly, not seeing anything and lost in her own world. Rowan hummed, something had happened by her stance.

"Aelin. Aelin," He said softly.

Red-rimmed turquoise and gold eyes snapped to his. Rowan's breath came in a sharp when liquid silver rolled down her cheeks. Something had happened in the time she had gotten out of bed. The lie of her going on a run hadn't fooled him, but he hadn't wanted to press further.

"What happened?" Rowan asked in the same soft voice.

"Nothing. Nothing at all. Nothing but some… old acquaintances, I ran into." She said in a tight voice.

"Acquaintances? Who do you mean? The Captain?" He asked, not forgetting what the captain had done to break his Fireheart. When he had seen her in Wendlyn, drunk and broken inside, he had dealt with that. For the longest time, they had been at each other's throats, cursing each other back from high heaven. He had ignored the brokenness inside, chalking it up to a spoiled past and some minor misadventures from a few months prior. What he didn't know is that the brokenness had gone deeper than a few months or years. That brokenness had been festering inside for decades and he had been hammering on it relentlessly. When she had finally snapped, well, it had taken him a long time to put the pieces back together. Even now he doubted her stability

"What of the Captain?" She said sharply, pulling Rowan out of his thoughts.

He looked into her eyes, _Tell me._

She sighed and scrubbed her face, "He said that… all the things that happened here were my fault. Dorian, Sorcha, Aedion… Everything. He also told me that Nehemia… that she had _died_ while I was gone." More tears slipped onto her cheeks, "And that I… I was a _monster_."

Everything went deathly quiet in Rowan's head. Her, a monster? The girl, no, the woman in front of him trying so desperately hard to keep everything together, free her people and save Dorian was anything but. He put a hand under her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye.

"If you're a monster, then I'm a monster," He said, looking into her eyes. He could see the turmoil raging under the skin. She leaned into his touch, telling Rowan that her emotional reserves were spent. She was too tired to care if Rowan could tell her every thought, too tired to care what the world wanted.

She was just too damn tired.

"Come on, you could use some rest. Galavanting around and training all day won't fix anything," Rowan said, breaking her out of her thoughts.

With heartbreaking tenderness he had never shown, Rowan took her hand led her to their shared room. He pulled out one of his massive shirts and handed it to Aelin, before turning back to the kitchen for a light snack to bring her. When he returned, he found her lying in the bed, with her back to the door. Her breathing was quiet and deep, letting Rowan know that she had been beyond exhausted to fall asleep that quickly. After setting the food on the bedside table, Rowan shut the closet and bathroom doors, shut the curtains and walked to the other side of the bed. He sat down softly, as to not disturb Aelin; she was a very light sleeper from some past experiences. Some hair had slipped out of the messy ponytail and onto Aelins' face, so Rowan pulled it back.

Leaning forward softly Rowan planted a feather soft kiss on her cheek before he whispered, "You will _never_ be a Monster, Fireheart."

* * *

It was almost one in the afternoon before Aelin stumbled into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes and yawning. Her hair was disheveled and falling out of her ponytail, and she was wearing nothing but his shirt (Rowan noticed with no small amount of satisfaction), but still took his breath away.

"G'morning," Aelin mumbled passed a yawn.

"More so good afternoon," He smiled. "Have any big plans for the remainder of the day?"

"Yes. Reading, eating and sleeping," She said when he passed her a cup of tea.

"That sounds good to me. Aedion's out training, and I was going to join him. We'll be at the Rec-center."

"Mmmhmm," Aelin murmured over her tea cup, "Have a good time and please don't get into a pissing contest."

Rowan laughed and walked out the door, leaving Aelin to stare at her books.

Very quickly Rowan arrived at the gym. Aedion was already there, sparring with some other person. He gave a quick nod before turning back to his opponent and pinning him in three moves. They clasped hands and parted ways, with Aedion hustling over to Rowan.

"Took you long enough. What happened?" Aedion asked.

That question brought Rowans temper to the forefront. "Some drama with old acquaintances," He said vaguely. If Aelin wanted to tell Aedion, then she could do it herself.

"Alright then," Aedion said, clearly confused. "Are you good to work on the plan?"

"Of course, that's why we're here." Rowan met Aedions gaze. "Her first match is in three days at the Hatch."

"How do you-"

"And in three weeks time, Arobynn wants to have Aelin, you and I all over for dinner." Rowan paused. "He sent her a gift."

"That explains why she was a bit off kilter yesterday. What are we going to do?"

"For this one?" Rowan sighed. "I don't think we can do anything."

"What do you mean, _we can't do anything_?"

"Think about it: the match is in two days. Aelin didn't want us knowing about it, so she hid the evidence. All we can do is let her train and rest so that she's prepared for it."

"But she doesn't have to do this alone!"

"So we won't let her do it alone: next time. As hard as this is, I think it's the right choice. For now, lets just train."

"I really hope you're right, because I can't loose her again," Aedion muttered as they got ready.

Both of the hulking brutes settled into the rhythm of training. Sparring, weights, cardio, stretching: they did it all to try and quell the inferno of emotions both were hiding. They hated the fact that Aelin was trying to manage everything herself and keeping them in the dark. It was frustrating that she thought they couldn't know and couldn't help, but they knew that she would work harder and harder to hide her plans if they approached her about it. When both of them were nursing bruised and bleeding knuckles, they called it quits, showered and went home.

They found Aelin on the settee, reading a book with a cup of tea in her hand, a box of chocolates on the table next to her and a blanket over her lap. When the door shut she looked up, smiled and promptly went back to reading. Aedion glanced at her, then at Rowan and made himself scarce. In his head, Rowan said thank you as he dropped his gym bag and sat down next to her.

"How was your day?" She asked.

"Fine, albeit mundane. How's the book?"

"Fantastic. It's so gripping I want to keep reading it," Aelin hinted.

Rowan chuckled and left the room.


End file.
